Who Done It?

sooz

sooz

Member
Setting: 50 gallon hexagonal tankVictim: Yellow Watchman Goby, approximately 1.5 inches long, properly acclimated
Time window: 2.5 hours unattended tank
Crime: Battery, including severe damage to tail fin and rear dorsal fin. Minor damage to front dorsal fin and left ventral fin
Suspects: Purple lobster, Yellow Tang, Springer's Dottyback, Blue-green Chromis, PJ Cardinal, Coral Beauty, Blue Legged Hermit Crab, Astrea snail, Nassarius Snail
Outcome: Yao-Man (the goby) has been relocated to a friendlier environment, where he is eating well, sifting, and is expected to make a full recovery. He swims a little crooked right now but is doing just fine.
So - whodunit? Which of the established tank members committed this terrible crime? The PJ's and snails have been ruled out - they had good alibis.
I do have a prime suspect, but wanted to see what y'all thought!
(Disclaimer: The Yellow Tang is being relocated to much larger tank on 3/1/08. I took her in as a rescue, but she is starting to get bigger, so my Mom is going to take her in her 150 gallon next time I clean. Just letting the Tang Police know before they start screeching)
 
michaeltx

michaeltx

Moderator
suspect number one is the purple lobster! I have seen them go after some of the smaller fish in a tank.
Mike
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Get the Lobster under some bright lights for questioning. My approach would be to use the good fish bad fish approach.
Preferred to other lobsters because of its 5-6” maximum size, it is also considered to be reef safe, as it will typically not bother other aquarium inhabitants. Possible exceptions are some invertebrates and some smaller bottom-dwelling fish.
 
sooz

sooz

Member
I questioned Purple Lobster, a shy 3" specimen who came with the tank and is never seen other than at cleanings if his hole is disrupted. He reminds me that he never bothered my Scooter Blenny, who was not much larger and bottom dwelling as well. (Scooter Blenny was given to a more copepod-rich home several weeks ago). He noted that the attack occured in broad daylight, when he is never abroad in the tank. PL also pointed out to me that he had molted the day before the attack, so was less likely to be out and about. He points the claw at the Springer's Dottyback, who was known to pick at Scooter from time to time, but I am doubltfult hat he actually witnessed anything, if he was underneath the LR as he claims.
Thoughts on this development in the testimony?
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Hmmmm.. if we can verify a molt at the time of the incident then we can probably take the lobster at his word. If the SD has in fact been know to bully some of the bottom dwelling fish then this past may be and indication that he is not out of the algae yet.
Some information from a respected marine livestock profiling site:
"In most cases dottybacks need to be in a tank with mildly aggressive tank mates. Gobies, blennies, small wrasses and other non-aggressive fish will be in danger of harassment."
 
spiderwoman

spiderwoman

Active Member
Originally Posted by sooz
http:///forum/post/2478901
I questioned Purple Lobster, a shy 3" specimen who came with the tank and is never seen other than at cleanings if his hole is disrupted. He reminds me that he never bothered my Scooter Blenny, who was not much larger and bottom dwelling as well. (Scooter Blenny was given to a more copepod-rich home several weeks ago). He noted that the attack occured in broad daylight, when he is never abroad in the tank. PL also pointed out to me that he had molted the day before the attack, so was less likely to be out and about. He points the claw at the Springer's Dottyback, who was known to pick at Scooter from time to time, but I am doubltfult hat he actually witnessed anything, if he was underneath the LR as he claims.
Thoughts on this development in the testimony?
You need to write short stories

That is funny!
 
E

emeralcrab

Guest
As in most crimes, the quilty party will never admit to doing it. You might have to bring in the CSI on this one. Get some scrapings under the fins, swab the mouths for a DNA sample. Run the fin prints in the AFP, (Auaqa Fin Print data base), check to see if any one had any priors. See if you can get the weaker of the clan to squeal on their tank mates. You might have to set up a hidden camera. Good luck.
 
sooz

sooz

Member
The Powerhead theory is unlikely, as Yao-Man is now living in my Mom's tank, which has a MUCH more turbulant water flow, and he seems to be doing just fine in that current. Plus, the poor thing's fins were chewed, if you know what I mean. I thought he was dead when I saw him, but when I scopped him, he moved, so I put him in my isolation container and watched him for a couple days, and he rallied!
P.L. (whose name is actually Norman) is quite fond of garlic, so I doubt showing him garlic would phase him, but butter and boiling water might loosen his proboscis!
He definitely molted the day before the attack. In fact, his molt was only half off when I went to bed that night, so he was still fresh when Yao came into the tank the following afternoon. Of course, molting is hard work, and maybe he was really, really hungry! But if that were the case, surely he would have finished the Goby off and dragged him into his cave for a nice feasting!
Perhaps I will never know the truth, but Jared (the Springer's) remains my prime suspect. If he is innocent, maybe my Tang, but she tends to chase, not nip..
 
husker619

husker619

New Member
Have you ever thought that maybe the goby could be to blame. If he backed into the lobsters hole/cave and the lobster just molted, he would be very over protective of himself. Maybe the goby accidently stumbled onto trouble. I watch mine back into all kinds of holes and caves without checking to see if someone else is home first!! (just ask my jawfish) Maybe the goby needs to be brought back in for another round of questioning!!
 
E

emeralcrab

Guest
That is one awesome picture Husker, love the clown with the shrimp. My fish wont let my shrimp clean them.
 
jamescynthiam

jamescynthiam

New Member
Over the last few months - we have lost a scarlet cleaner shrimp and a coral banded shrimp and a brittle star - - and was suspecting that we had lost the lobster.........he used to come out and we'd see him.......and we hadn't seen him either for several months ....
We found his shell this week, where he had molted- and boy has he gotten big...........we did use a flashlight and we were able to find him in the live rock ...........
I had a mated pair of clownfish - the female disappeared yesterday.......and we found the carcus with the lobster.........
He has had his last meal at my expense - bad news is we'll probably have to almost dismantle the tank to get him out...............
Unless someone knows of a way to entice him out or trap him.........
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Personally, when I looked at your list I thought "dottyback" which can definitely have a big time attitude.
 
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